


Magnus Chase, the worst assassin ever

by Sol1t41r3



Category: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, F/M, M/M, Skyrim-esque, horrible failed assassination
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-04
Updated: 2018-10-23
Packaged: 2019-07-07 06:52:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15903105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sol1t41r3/pseuds/Sol1t41r3
Summary: Hired by a suspicious persona, Magnus Chase's last epic-fail mission is to assassinate the Prince of Jotunheim.Alex Fierro.





	1. A Job Offer

**Author's Note:**

> hi
> 
> youve no idea how many times ive tried to post this and it just doesnt work 
> 
> ao3 gods please have mercy on my soul!!!

Jotunheim, the Kingdom of Loki. A place that cutthroats called home and a central place for crime. Homey, wasn’t it? The locals weren’t so welcoming either; giants that towered over most normal people. There were practically no guards and if you aren’t too careful, you might just have yourself stripped of all your valuables or in a ditch somewhere. Loki mostly turned a blind eye towards these things, yes, I know, he’s the best king ever.

Though despite all of this, the thing that Jotunheim is infamous for is the Assassins Guild, a group of trained killers that take contracts to kill whoever they were ordered to kill. Unfortunately, I am a member of this horrible guild. Listen, I don’t know how I got mixed up in all of this but it definitely wasn’t for me. I could never be sneaky even if my life depended on it. I definitely wasn’t a trained killer either. In short, I was probably the worst assassin you could hire.

Have I mentioned that my friends were a part of the business too? Naturally, they were better than me.

Here we were, sitting at a bar and me fresh from a familiar of a mission that I definitely did not want to talk about.

“So, Magnus, have you gotten hired yet?” Halfborn asks, putting down his mug of mead and belching heartily. His worn cloak stretched across his shoulders. “I heard that there was someone looking for.. you know.”

Halfborn Gunderson, the Berserker. Despite his giant figure and easily recognizable face, he surprisingly can blend in really well and mingle in with the nobles. Out of all of us four, Halfborn’s probably the most educated about Jotunheim since he was born here. Once he finds his target, the last thing that poor guy will see is a huge ax blade winging towards their face.

“No one’s ever going to hire me ever again, Halfborn. I think you know that.” Not after my big mess-up of the century. After that.. I really wanted to quit this stupid guild thing but I was afraid that I’m stuck right in the middle of it.

“Come on, it wasn’t that bad!” Halfborn exclaims, a chuckle in his tone.

Mallory clears her throat, rolling her strikingly green eyes, “Correction, it was terrible.”

Relieved that someone agrees, I look pointedly at Halfborn and he just shrugs.

Mallory Keen. We didn’t really have a title for her since she’d destroy us if we gave her one. Mallory’s specialty was daggers. She’s the sneakiest out of all of us and never leaves a trace behind which makes her the most ideal assassin among us. Though her fiery red hair was a big problem but nothing a cloak can’t fix. She can perfectly hide her hair under her hood.

Next was TJ who wasn’t here. He was called the Sharpshooter. He got his title by crafting his own weapon. A modified crossbow that was the perfect and deadliest long range weapon I’ve ever seen. Right now, he was doing a mission. We didn’t have much information about it but the targets TJ usually had were well-guarded and snobby nobles.

Me? I manage to flunk every mission I was given but somehow I still complete it, albeit in a very bad, very messy way that was the total opposite of what was asked of me. The Miracle, was my official nickname in the guild. I felt like that wasn’t meant in a positive way though. I still don’t know why these random people forced me into this guild when I literally just stumbled into Jotunheim. Plus, I was trash at this.

“But seriously, slipping on a puddle and somehow bringing down a whole building _and_ magically killing the target in the rubble?” Halfborn stifles a laugh. “How does that happen? Complete and utter magic, I tell you.”

“No need to rub it in his face,” Mallory scolds him. “Don’t you have someone to meet up with, Gunderson?” Thank you, Mallory.

Halfborn sniffs, miffed at the woman, “Fine. But TJ will be back by sun high, we’ll meet here again by then.” Then he stands up. His height doesn’t put me on edge anymore despite him standing at about two feet taller than me. It was normal for the giants of Jotunheim. He was just the same age as us so he may get even taller.

After Halfborn leaves the bar, Mallory looks over to me, expectant.

“I want to leave this place.” I say miserably, covering my eyes with heels of my hands.

“It’s not so easy, Magnus,” Mallory frowns, her voice a soft tone.

“I know it isn’t but.. I need to get back,” The weight on my chest gets heavier, I can’t keep killing these people for money. “I miss her.” The fiery woman gives me a sympathetic look.

Mallory doesn’t comfort me instead she says, “You should get a rest, Chase.” That’s just like her, she isn’t so good at the emotional stuff but she knows when enough’s enough and she was right. I probably should get a rest, especially from that stupid flunk of a contract.

“What about TJ?” I was eager to hear about _successful_ missions that my friends always had. They were really top of the business. Me? Not so much. I like think of that as a good thing. It meant less people for me to kill. I wasn’t as keen on killing as the others were.

“We can tell you after,” She retorts. “There’s plenty of time in the world, Magnus.” I stand up, nodding. Some rest seemed good right now, though I’m not sure how sleep would solve all my problems. It seemed like the best thing to do. Even with my back turned, I could feel Mallory’s eyes on me as I exited the inn. She really had that burning gaze.

I leave the inn only to be met with the busy scene of Jotunheim. I quickly put on my hood and made sure my cloak is pinned properly. Here in Jotunheim, you had to be mindful of your surroundings and have one hand on your sword. Trust me, you don’t want to be ambushed by gods know who.

Despite being a kingdom with a somewhat working system, Jotunheim was like a squatter’s area. If you stumbled upon it you’d think that it was some kind of secret hangout for homeless people. The only thing that looked remotely kingdom-like about it was the castle of Loki in the central area of the land. But even then, the castle looked sad and abandoned. People weren’t allowed in except during exclusive parties that Loki held for the nobles.

It wasn’t much fun here, I know. So.. why am I here? That’s something I don’t really like to talk about.

The hideout where most of the guild lived was underground, below the kingdom. Deep in the tunnels were most crazies leave. We had a lot of ways into HQ, the closest one was near some abandoned manor. I didn’t like the job but I was still fascinated at how interwoven the hideaway was into the kingdom. Almost as if the kingdom was built with the Assassins Guild in mind.

 I almost thought that my walk back to the hideout would’ve been uneventful but I was wrong the second somebody slammed into me. I stumble back, dazed. 

“What the heck—“ Normally I would’ve said _sorry_ in case this guy was a giant so I wouldn’t get squashed into a sorry stain in the ground but once I regained focus, I quickly realized this guy was human. How I knew? Because he was shorter than me.

“How convenient, Magnus Chase,” He cackles, his crooked yellowed teeth showing. I could only see little of his face under the cloak, a deformed nose that’s been broken a lot of times and taut cheeks. “I’ve got a contract for you!” He says, his voice joyful and sing-song.

I blink, I wasn’t used to people bumping into me in the street and recognizing me, much less telling me they had a contract for me but it seemed good enough. Usually that kind of stuff was done in private. Here, I felt exposed. But it was a contract nonetheless, and I had to take the opportunity. “You’re.. offering?” I ask, astonished. This guy must’ve been out of his mind if he’s hiring me after what happened in my last contract.

The guy grins, his ugly face contorting to match the shape of his lips, “I have the money, I’ll make it worth your while. But first, let’s get to a more private environment.” Suddenly, I hear a _snap!_ and everything zooms out of focus, I felt like I was being torn between two places at once. My empty stomach was about to go in on itself.

When I came to my senses, I realized that we were in a bar somewhere far in the kingdom, you could tell by the giants chugging and clinking their beer mugs together.

“So, my contract,” The man sitting across from me clears his throat, grabbing my attention. I still felt dizzy.

He still looked the same, save for his ugly features slowly disappearing. His nose looked like that of royalty and his rosy cheeks were plump like he just had a hearty meal.

“How did—“ I started to ask but I stopped myself before I could gag from the motion sickness.

The man waves me off, “Nevermind about that. Teleportation is a petty thing. It’ll go away in a second.” _Teleportation?_ _Petty?_ Who the hell was this guy?

A group of giants yell cheers in the background as I watch the man’s movements. “So, what I really want to talk about is who I want _eliminated_.” Heavy emphasis on the last word lingers in his suddenly sinister voice.

I still felt uncertain about this but this guy definitely wasn’t human so I kept listening.  The man leans forward. Maybe it was me but it seemed like his face had changed. I still couldn’t see the whole of him under the hood, but the prominent features were his jutting squarish jaw and downturned lips. Maybe I could see a hint of hair that bore the color of crisp autumn leaves.

“The _Prince_ of Jotunheim.”

“The Prince of Jotunheim?” I furrow my eyebrows. “That’s...”

“Alex Fierro, son of Loki,” The man smoothly cuts in, tracing the edge of his beer mug. Where had that come from?

“I’ve been told that you’re the best in the business, are you not?”

A shudder runs through me. Best in the business? They were just setting me up again. I knew it. Sick bastards..  I really had to rethink my life choices.

Before I can answer, the weirdo shakes his head, “Never you mind. All you should know is that I’m paying a hefty sum and you’ll earn my favor.” The familiar jingle of coins comes with the big leather pouch the man puts in front of me. My eyes almost bugged out of my face at the sight of it. That was definitely more than enough for me to..

 _Hold on, this seems suspicious_ , A tiny reasonable part of my brain complains and I sit back, taking a deep breath and clearing my head.

“Your favor?” I ask incredulously. The man laughs, impossibly white teeth revealed under pulled-back lips. They were yellow earlier, weren’t they? Confusion overworks my brain. A lot of bad vibes were really emanating from this guy and I didn’t like it one bit.

He stands up, taking the leather pouch with him. With a grin, he says “I’ve got friends in high places.”

Then he vanishes. Leaving me sitting there as if nothing had happened. He definitely wasn’t human.. A part of me yells that I should just walk away but I had a feeling that if I didn’t do this contract, I would end up a grease stain on the pavement outside.

I just came back from a crap job and now I’m hired to do a way more dangerous, crazier and stupider contract. It just keeps coming, doesn’t it?

Alex Fierro, huh?.. This is gonna be bad. Maybe it would’ve been better if I had just quit early.


	2. Don't ever visit Jotunheim as a vacation spot. Ever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey.. disappearing for a month? not good lol. school came up, sorry. am startin out rough here.. oof  
> the slow degeneration of my brain obviously shows here, i hope you guys have been doing fine

Trust me. It isn’t even on the top ten list of places to visit in Midgard. I’ve never been to the other kingdoms but I’m _positive_ that no normal person would ever want to come here. You’d be an idiot to come here willingly.

I rarely go near the heart of the kingdom but when I do, I’m still surprised by the amount of cutthroats and bastards that live here. Jotunheim is like the garbage can of the entire country. This is where all the rotten apples of the bunch end up.

I’m not really sure where I fit in that group. I like to think that I’m _not_ a rotten apple.

As I exit the bar, it turns out that I was right. The guy had teleported me to a bar near the castle of Loki. I made it a point to get the heck out of there as fast as possible. I didn’t want to get mixed up in another guild or something. The heart of the kingdom was entirely different territory from the outer rural part.

Mallory’s still at that bar, but now accompanied by Halfborn and TJ. She looks surprised as I stagger through the door. I recount the conversation with the man to my friends, they didn’t seem that bothered by the fact that I was just hired to kill a prince. At first, they didn’t believe me about the disappearing guy and all the teleportation, saying maybe I was out of it. When I mentioned  _The_ Prince, that catches their attention.

Let me explain about _The_ Prince.

As far as I knew, Alex Fierro is the only living prince in the whole country. The kings and queens weren’t allowed to have children. I wasn’t so sure why. It was just that. No one ever gave me a clear explanation so I just left it as it is. But Loki, the king of Jotunheim disobeyed this since why not? He’s broken every rule in history so why not this one as well?

“Probably a mage of some sort.” Mallory sniffs, as I rant more about the strange details of my encounter with the guy. “You do know that they practice magic in Asgard, right?”

“Of course. But this dude felt.. menacing.” Mages from Asgard were a rare sight in Jotunheim, usually they were raised on good morals and whatnot. Jotunheim was definitely not for them. Besides, this guy didn’t seem like a goody two-shoes mage. Having a _prince_ assassinated? Yeah, no.

“How are you going to do this? The Prince has always been locked inside the palace for who knows how long. Nobody’s ever sure if he’s still alive.” Halfborn raises an eyebrow, yet looking far off into the distance as if he were thinking about something else.

“Well, obviously he’s still alive. Somebody’s put a price on his head.” Mallory reasons, “But could you even sneak into the palace? That place is locked up tight.”

Sure, but if my past is anything to go by, I could do almost anything, just with the addition of messing up big time. “I’ll have to find out.”

“You’re sure you don’t need our help?” TJ asks, gripping his crossbow a bit too tight for my taste.

“Guys, I can do this. I just need a plan.”

“That’s where we come in.” Mallory interrupts me. “It’s settled then. We’re helping you. Come on.” Before I could even complain, they immediately start talking about my infiltration into the palace. Great.

I guess this was every day for them. Planning out assassinations, no matter what the obstacles are. In this contract, I think it’s suicide.

But remember me mentioning those exclusive parties that Loki held only for the nobles? Yeah. That’s what we came up with as my chance to get into the castle. The only problem was I did not look like a noble. More like a grungy kid who grew up on the streets. Technically that was my childhood.

“Leave that to us. For the meantime, get ready for the party. I think the next one is going to be held at New Moon,” Mallory informs me, shrugging off my question as if it wasn’t all that important. “Which is seriously coincidental.”

That _was_ coincidental. The same time I got the contract, the big party was coming up too. Felt almost _too_ coincidental. Halfborn waves it off as a good opportunity and that we shouldn’t waste it. It’s certainly better than having to break into the castle. The only problem was trying to stick in. It just so happens that my good friend, Halfborn Gunderson’s specialty is blending in.

 

I spent the next few days looking for outfits fit for a party. Something that would make me look the least bit presentable but at the same time make me feel comfortable enough to be able to fight properly. Just in case I get into some unwanted trouble.

Looking formal wasn’t my thing. I admit. I only wear sensible and practical clothes that are fit for the situation. The situation being assassinating someone. Fashion wasn’t really a concept that I understood. You could tell that in the dull and repetitive clothes I wore every day. The only thing that made my whole outfit lighten up was a pendant that I was given when I was a kid. It didn’t look like much but it felt special. To me, at least.

I got it on my seventh birthday, I think. The details are murky. But it was a gift from someone, along with a sword. Engraved on the pendant was the rune _Fehu_. Frey’s symbol. I didn’t think of it a lot since it didn’t seem that important. The sword was way more interesting though. I still had it today, it seemed to grow with me. If that made any sense. The sword seemed like pure gold, from tip to handle. Which is why I always keep it in its sheath because someone would definitely try to steal it. Someone stealing your sword doesn’t sound very nice, I’d probably die from embarrassment if it actually happened.

My mom never said who it was from and I never bothered to know. All my seven-year-old brain thought was, this _is cool!_ Trust me, if you received a golden sword and a cool-looking pendant, that’s all you’d think, meanwhile your mother’s wondering what kind of maniac would give a _seven-year-old_ a sword. Now... the next thing to do after you get a cool sword? Practice with it of course. That’s exactly what I did, for the last few years. But thing was, I was still crap at it. Sadly.

I still spent my time practicing in the dark tunnels of Assassin HQ. Luckily, I’ve become decent at it, finally able to defend myself. But I felt like I still had a long way to go. Weapons were never my style but I loved this sword and pretty much dedicated to it.

Despite it being days after my last contract, I still heard whispers about it. You’d never think that _assassins_ would make fun at each other but they did. I _am_ usually the butt of jokes and always will be, I guess. That’s why I didn’t like staying in HQ that much, settling for camping out in the forest and whatnot. Sometimes staying there for days on end and mingling with the wildlife.

Anyways, whenever I wasn’t frolicking on the forest. I was readying for the party. Yeah. I took lessons from Halfborn on how to act like a completely different person because there wasn’t some manual I could just buy. Besides, Halfborn offered and he’s _really_ good at blending in, he can change his appearance with a special magic item that he’s only shown me now.

A cloak that I’ve never seen him wear, but it proves way more impressive when it makes Halfborn look like he’s literally me. All the small details, even the small flecks of black that I see in my eyes every time I saw myself in the mirror. Everything. So, _that’s_ how he does it.

“You swear not to tell anybody?” He asked, his voice still the same. Maybe it just worked for appearances? “It’s a family heirloom. Pretty handy if you ask me.” Halfborn swishes the cloak around as if trying to shoo an animal away.

“It’s a nice heirloom,” I said. “Nah, I won’t ever tell.” We bond during those times. Like, sometimes I feel like our connection to each other is getting stronger. It’s nice. (Or maybe I’m just a really cheesy person)

“We can’t have you busting in there and acting like your normal chipper self,” Halfborn raises a hand to his chin, “Nobles carry themselves a certain way. But not all nobles do, I guess.”

“Okay…” I trail off, waiting for him to continue.

“So, the key to this is just act like a completely new person.”

“And… how exactly do I do that?” I ask, hoping for Halfborn to clarify.

“That’s the problem.” Halfborn laughs, “You’re a bad actor, Magnus.”

I sigh, esteem crumbling, “Thanks. I feel really confident about this now.”

“Ah! Don’t worry.” He pats my back, “I’ll do the best I can!” Halfborn says with a hearty grin, which looks weird since he's still a carbon copy of me.

 

We start off the training with Halfborn telling me to express certain emotions. I can do some, but not without breaking character and feeling embarrassed. Halfborn only replies with shakes of his head and offers bits of advice.

Sometimes the TJ and Mallory stop by to see how we’re doing, those are the times where I get to embarrass myself by disguising as someone else. The first time in particular was unsurprisingly bad.

“It’s good?” TJ says, uncertain as to what he should be saying.

Mallory on the other hand… “It’s horrible.” TJ nods in agreement.

I share a look with Halfborn. We had a long way to go.

The next few days were spent solely on practice. Practicing on how to act felt weird. Usually I was just my normal self on contracts. The worst part about it all is I’m naturally bad at it. It takes a lot of face palms from Halfborn for me to finally get something right.

“This was harder than I thought it’d be.” Halfborn scowls. I manage a nervous smile.

“But I did do it right… Right?”

Halfborn offers a shrug, “More or less.”

After the lessons, I can conjure up a decent enough persona to fool people. Here’s to hoping I don’t horribly fail like I always do. Especially now that this contract was _really_ serious. Killing a prince was literally a once in a life time opportunity. Okay, I know that sounds like I want to go full psycho and murder this guy but that’s the messed up life I’ve somewhat gotten used to.

 

There’s just a few days left before the grand party. I can already feel the excitement in the air, buzzing from nobles about how charming Loki would be this time, wondering if they’ll finally see the Prince.. It gets me thinking.. Why would anyone want to kill the Prince? I mean, he’s literally done nothing. Maybe it would hurt Loki in some way but why get me to do the job?

“I just realized,” Mallory perks up from her bed just beside mine. “You need an invitation.”

I turn towards her, “An invitation?” That fact hadn’t really come to mind when I received the contract, I just assumed I’d break in or the guards would let me in just like that. Not exactly the smartest idea to walk in uninvited into the king’s palace.

The red-haired girl rolls her eyes, “Yes, an invitation. How else would you get into the party?”

Observe. This is Mallory Keen suggesting assassinating a _noble_ just to get an _invitation_. She’s crafty.

“Couldn’t we just forge something up or whatever?” I sit up, anxiety stirring in my stomach.

“Well. We don’t even know how to looks like, so..”

I suppress a sigh at the thought of more death.

Fine. Murder it is.

We get TJ to do the job, since it _is_ his specialty. We just target a really crappy noble like the guy we see kicking around his servants. At least it feels justified. We also get to rob him of his belongings so that’s kind of a plus!

Now.

Feelings of trauma, bottled up.

Invitation in hand.

Costume ready.

Snobby persona, check.

I was ready to take out the Prince. Who may or may not exist.

(I think I could’ve worded that a bit better)

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for the lovely [olivers box of raisins](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Olivers_Box_of_Raisins/pseuds/Olivers_Box_of_Raisins) for beta reading heh,


	3. A very unpleasant first impression

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's something fishy goin' on in Loki's castle.

As expected, the party is on New Moon. Halfborn decided to come with me so I wouldn’t be alone on this one. Deep down, I was relieved to have someone else with me. This was gonna be new territory for me. In all the years I’ve done this, all I’ve ever had were minor contracts.

We pull on our disguises and make our way to Loki’s castle, carefully blending into the shadows. It’s so weird having Halfborn the same height as me when I’m so used to looking up to look him in the eyes. He was almost unrecognizable; the only thing giving it away was his personality. It occurred to me that this would actually be the first time I’d see Halfborn Gunderson in action, undercover. I felt a sick excitement.

When we approach the palace, we see a line of people at the gates. The huge doors to the inside are open for once. Halfborn nods to me. I straighten my chest, letting out a big exhale. Let’s do this.

Lining up was easy. Acting aloof was sort of simple, having a straight posture and upturned chin wasn’t worth a sweat. I handed the invitations to the well-decorated guard as we moved to the front. Instead of automatically letting us in like he did with earlier nobles, he pauses, looking up and down at us with narrowed eyes. Crap.

“Well?” Halfborn suddenly growls beside me, “Are you going to let us in or not? You’re wasting our time here.” I thought right then and there that my disguised chaperone would suddenly strangle the guard. The poor guy visibly pales.

“Of course… Forgive me, sir.” He hands us back our invitations, “I was merely trying to—“

I don’t even hear the end of his reasons as Halfborn pulls me inside.

“Nice.” I say.

“Gotta act like a noble, right?” Halfborn grins, not at all bothered about threatening someone. “Remember, most guards crumble under the anger of a noble. They’re still counted as peasants.”

“Yup.” I reply meekly. Easy for him to act like someone else. I can’t pretend even to save my own life. Halfborn motions for us to walk further into the castle, I follow his lead.

The inside of the castle looked bigger than it should’ve been from the outside. Dazzling bright lights casted dark shadows in contrast to the yellowish glow of the ballroom. Fancy gold décor adorned the hall, adding intricate designs that somewhat showed the ‘culture’ of Jotunheim. It all felt… cheap. It didn’t feel like a real palace, more of an illusion. Heck, even the people felt fake.

“This doesn’t feel right.” I mutter, “There’s something wrong.” I, usually not one for contact, huddle next to Halfborn. It felt like the temperature had dropped a couple degrees.

“I know.” replied my chaperone, “Definitely not good.” I look over the palace. People in garish clothing were chatting aimlessly. The dreary ensemble was playing a somber tune to fit the atmosphere. This was the party everybody was excited about? It felt depressing.

We made our way to the throne that sat at the other side of the hall. Even when sticking to the wall and moving as quietly as possible, I still felt exposed. Especially in this ridiculous suit that I was forced to wear.

As we came closer to the throne, the colder it got. Up close, it was definitely the most real-looking thing I’ve seen in this place. Made of pure gold and blood red velvet fabric, it was a sight to behold.

“Would fetch a nice price on the market.” Halfborn mumbles, casting a few longing glances as we passed it by. Did I mention that he had sort of a problem with stealing? You wouldn’t see him back from a mission without a few souvenirs handy.

“That’s gonna have to wait.” I whisper to him once I see two huge jeweled doors behind the fancy chair that undoubtedly led deeper into the castle. This seemed easy. Extremely easy, in fact. Except there were two full grown giants that stood guard on either side of the doorway

Sure, it wasn’t a problem if we weren’t so full view of everyone. Halfborn could easily take these guys down with a swipe of his axe which was hidden by his magic cloak.

“I’ll distract them. You sneak in and put an end to all of this, Chase.” He says, clearing his throat. I watch as Halfborn saunters over to the guards, adapting a totally different stride and aura. How does he do that?

Despite towering over him, Halfborn approached the two giants easily. I would’ve hesitated at least a little bit when walking over to two beings like a couple feet taller than me. Their conversation is too quiet for me to hear properly, but whatever my friend said definitely caught the guards’ attention.

Louder, he talks. “You guys should go for a drink, my treat, eh? Don’t you worry about Loki. I’ve told him how hard you peasants work.” A wide grin on Halfborn’s face makes him look more cheerful. The two guards blink in surprise as if this had been the first time someone’s ever talked to them. They look at each other wordlessly.

“’Fraid of leaving your post? Don’t worry, my friend here can watch for you.” Halfborn winks, “Everybody deserves a few drinks.” I wonder if I should say anything, settling to grin instead.

They both move forward, shuffling like the undead. Like they had no control over what they did. Halfborn laughs and steers them both away by the shoulders. While the trio walk away, he tosses me a meaningful glance. Guess that’s my cue. Thanks, Halfborn.

I slip into the doorway, quietly locking the doors behind me. I turn back to the empty corridor. Right. Now I just have to find where the Prince is and… I do my job then I get the hell out of here. It was easy, or at least it seemed like it. The glaring problem is that Loki’s castle was big and grand. Fit for a king and that’s exactly who Loki is.

Speaking of, I hadn’t seen him in the hall and I didn’t want to run into him while sneaking around the castle. I tried to push the thought away and took a deep breath. Back to the mission at hand. If I were to guess the Prince would probably be in the upper floors. I wasn’t an expert on architecture but it was the general design of castles. Look, I haven’t been in a lot of castles but it sounded like the sensible thing.

I strip away my awkward disguise, tossing it into an empty room. Under my costume were my usual gear. Dark leather armor that’s saved my life a lot. My baldric was tight over my shoulder, and for good measure. I couldn’t have another incident, especially on this mission. My sword was snug in its sheath. Without all the previous decorations on my outfit, I was able to move freely. I kept my cloak on.

Keeping my footsteps light, I explored deeper into the castle. It felt cramped at first, but as I kept going, the walls started to space out more and finally I’m finally met with the sight of what seems to be the banquet hall. A long table stretched in the middle of the hall decorated with golden candelabras and silver plates and cutlery that Halfborn’s grabby hands wouldn’t have a problem taking.

There are about three passageways and a staircase leading to other parts of the castle from here. Yippee, more exploring. I don’t think I was on a time limit here but I still needed to be in and out fast. It was the best way to avoid a messy job. Besides, who knows when Loki might drop in and find me wandering around the castle with the intention to assassinate his son? I would like to die peacefully, thank you.

I go with my gut and pick the staircase. Vibrant tapestries hung on the walls, showing Loki in all his woven glory. Others displayed all the other kingdoms in Midgard. I could name most of them, Asgard, Vanaheim, and Alfheim… Those were really the only major kingdoms and all I knew.

Once I get to the top of the stairs, I’m met with a big pitch-black room. Just how big is this place?

I push my luck, taking a few steps forward into the darkness. Seems weird for a room to be randomly devoid of light but it appears that it was just...  _that._ My adventure stops as soon as I let my guard down. All I hear is a series of footsteps before getting thrown to the ground in a messy heap of cloak.

A thin wire wraps around my neck. I could’ve been decapitated right then and there if it was tight enough. Thankfully it wasn’t, because having my head get cut off would definitely end this story right away.

Before anything else can happen, I freeze and raise my hands.

“Who the heck are you?” A voice demands, nondescript. Funny how the supposed assassin was ambushed. That’s how bad I suck at this job.

“Uh… I could tell you if you let me up.” I wasn’t sure how fast I could be at unsheathing my sword before this person kicked me to the ground again.

They scoff, “Like I’d do that.”

“Not talking then, sorry.” I frown.

Surprisingly, I feel a weight lift off my back and the thin wire unravels around my neck. Slowly I stand up and with one swift move that I’ve practiced for years, I pull out my sword and get into a defensive stance.

To my surprise, the carved runes in the blade were shimmering and changing colors. The glow of the runes was enough to illuminate a little of the room. In the kaleidoscopic glow, I could see who had ambushed me.

They were no taller than me. Dark wavy hair and a frowning lips. The most telling feature that stood out were the glint of two-toned eyes that stared back at me. Two clashing colors that could’ve represented night and day with just a tinge of surprise in them. I couldn’t see any more than that but I had enough evidence to connect the dots.

I was ambushed by my own target.

Alex Fierro.

 

“You’re…” I gawk, forgetting all hostility and lowering my sword.

“You’re the new guard my mother hired.” Fierro’s eyes narrow.

“Mother?” I stammer.

“Loki?” His tone is annoyed.

 _New guard?_ The runes on my sword slowly lose their glow and I silently panic as the darkness swallows us. But as soon as the light fades away, torches from every corner of the room come to life. I get a full view of the umm… Prince?

I could hardly call him royalty. He was dressed up so colorfully I could’ve mistaken him for a jester. I don’t like jesters. They were pretty annoying.

Putting my sword back in its scabbard, I only get a second to wonder. It’s never done that before and I don’t think it’s _supposed_ to do that. “Yeah, I’m the new guard.” I say trying for smooth confidence. Halfborn could always lie so easily. I don’t know how he does it. Besides that, how could Alex identify me as a ‘new guard’?

“At least you’re not that incompetent.” He sighs, wrapping his wire around his waist. I’ve seen one of those things before and they certainly weren’t used for weapons… A garrote? Maybe it was enchanted.

“Incompetent?” I asked cautiously.

“You held your ground, I guess.” The Prince shrugs, “Hey, aren’t you supposed to be, you know, _guarding?_ ” Couldn’t argue with that since apparently, I was a guard now.

“Err…”

He rolls his eyes, “What? Do you want me to comment on your sword light show? Because I’ve seen better.” Alex snaps, annoyed.

“I’ve never seen it do that.” I frown, holding my hands up. After that, he walks away, muttering words that I couldn’t hear. Fascinating how blasé one can be when they don’t know you’ve been hired to kill them.

Watching the form of the prince, I could do the job right then and there with a good stab. There’s just something fishy that’s holding me back, something off. I haven’t seen Loki all night and Alex Fierro just called the King his mother. As far as I knew, the kingdom didn’t have a queen which raised a lot of questions about his birth.

If I wasn’t going to off him right then and there, I should’ve probably followed Alex but he disappeared. I frown and keep a hand gripped around the hilt of my sword. The best I could do was leave with all of me intact, besides, I had the ‘new guard’ position now.

**Author's Note:**

> any commEnts, vioLENT reACtions?? not that im saying that you should have any. this au just popped up in my head a couple of months ago
> 
> so, im handling another multi-chaptered fic. why do i do this to myself? because i love fierrochase thats why. and i love u guys too
> 
> adios, til the next chapter


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